Lakshmi Yojana portal goes live; 34,000 women register in 12 hours

Women began queuing at registration camps across Delhi from 8 am on Saturday as the portal for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana went live, beginning the rollout of the city Government’s Rs 2,500 monthly financial assistance scheme. According to figures shared by the Government, within 12 hours, more than 34,000 registrations have been completed. Nearly over 9,000 applications have been pending for MLA recommendation.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday launched the online registration portal (www.dly.delhi.gov.in) for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojna at the office of the district magistrate in East Delhi.

“The Delhi Lakshmi Yojna is a scheme that will provide economic empowerment to the sisters of Delhi. The Government has allocated a budget of `5,100 crore for this. The portal has started from today, and registration has also begun,” Gupta said while addressing a gathering after launching the portal.

The Chief Minister said the Delhi Cabinet had originally approved the scheme as the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, but it was later renamed Delhi Lakshmi Yojana to better reflect the broader vision of women’s dignity, prosperity and economic empowerment. The name draws inspiration from Goddess Lakshmi, who symbolises prosperity, financial security and the well-being of families.

The Delhi Government’s Women and Child Development Department has set up camps to help applicants check their eligibility, fill in personal and family details and upload the documents required for the scheme. Officials and volunteers at the centres were seen guiding women through the online process as queues formed from early morning. The scheme will initially be implemented for a period of three years and is expected to benefit nearly 17 lakh women.

The Delhi cabinet, headed by Gupta, on Tuesday, approved the scheme, fulfilling a key BJP poll promise made during the assembly elections last year.

According to the scheme guidelines approved by the cabinet, women aged between 21 and 60 years whose family income is up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum will be eligible to apply.

Women already receiving benefits under any other financial assistance scheme or pension, taxpayers, Government employees, women with more than three living children, families with annual electricity consumption exceeding 2,400 units, those owning four-wheelers, or families with any member in Government service or facing a criminal case will not be eligible for the scheme.

The Chief Minister said the scheme is expected to benefit around 17 lakh women initially and will be implemented for a period of three years.

The scheme offers beneficiaries two financial options. Under the first, Rs 1,000 every month will be credited to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet for day-to-day expenses, while the remaining Rs 1,500 will be deposited in a recurring deposit (RD) or fixed deposit (FD) account.

Under the second option, the entire Rs 2,500 monthly assistance can be deposited into an RD or FD account to help beneficiaries build long-term savings with interest.

The chief minister said a digital “negative list” would regulate spending through the CBDC wallet to ensure the assistance is used only for essential household needs. The amount cannot be spent on alcohol, tobacco, narcotic substances, lottery tickets, gambling, betting or other prohibited goods and services. She said the scheme would operate through a fully digital platform integrating applications, document verification, eligibility assessment, approvals, PFMS integration, banking services, CBDC transfers and SMS alerts to ensure transparency and accountability.

Every application will undergo a four-stage verification process involving the District Programme Management Unit, the District Women and Child Development Officer and the District-Level Approval, Monitoring and Grievance Redressal Committee before approval, she said.

The verification process will include Aadhaar authentication, Delhi voter registration, family income, electricity consumption, vehicle ownership, pension status and government employment records. False declarations or fraudulent claims would invite recovery of the assistance amount along with legal and administrative action, the Chief Minister said.

The chief minister said the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana is not limited to providing monthly financial assistance. Beneficiaries will also be connected with various government schemes and government services, including APAAR ID, ABHA ID, Poshan Tracker, immunisation, the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, the Swachh Bharat Mission and other social development programmes.

“Efforts will also be made to link women with self-help groups, skill development and entrepreneurship training so that they can become self-reliant in the long run,” she said.

Applicants or their parents or husbands must have been residents of Delhi for at least 10 years, and the beneficiary must be a registered voter in the national Capital.